The Cat That Walked By Himself

Hear, and attend, and listen; for this befell, and became, and was, in the days when the tame animals were wild. The Dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild — as wild as wild could be — and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones.

But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.

Of course the Man was wild too. He was dreadfully wild. He didn't even begin to be tame until he met the Woman, and she told him that she did not like living in his wild ways. She picked out a nice dry Cave instead of a heap of wet leaves to lie down in; she strewed clean sand on the floor; she lit a nice fire at the back of the Cave; and she hung a dried horse-skin, tail-down, across the mouth of the Cave; and she said, 'Wipe your feet, dear, when you come in, and now we shall keep house.'

That night, they ate wild sheep roasted on the hot stones, and flavoured with wild garlic and wild pepper. Then the Man went to sleep in front of the fire, ever so happy; but the Woman sat up, combing her hair. She took the big flat blade-bone of the shoulder of mutton, and looked at the wonderful marks on it, and threw more wood on the fire, and she made a Magic. She made the First Singing Magic in all the world.

Out in the Wet Wild Woods, all the wild animals gathered where they could see the light of the fire, and they wondered what it meant.

Then Wild Horse said, 'O my Friends and O my Enemies, why has the Man made that great light? Will it hurt us?'

Wild Dog lifted his nose and smelled the smell of roast mutton. 'I shall go up and see,' he said. 'Cat, come with me.'

'No,' said the Cat. 'I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. I shall not come.' But all the same he followed Wild Dog, softly, very softly, and hid himself where he could see and hear everything.

At the mouth of the Cave, Wild Dog lifted the horse-skin curtain with his nose, and sniffed the roast mutton. The Woman, looking at the blade-bone, heard him and laughed. 'Here comes the first,' she said. 'Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, what do you want?'

Wild Dog said, 'What is this that smells so good?'

The Woman tossed him a roasted mutton-bone. 'Wild Thing,' she said, 'help my Man to hunt in the day, and guard this Cave at night, and I shall give you all the roast bones you like.'

'Done,' said Wild Dog, gnawing the bone. And he crawled into the Cave, and laid his head on the Woman's lap.

Watching from the shadows, the Cat sniffed. 'That is a very foolish Dog,' he said to himself. And he went back through the Wet Wild Woods, waving his wild tail, walking by his wild lone. And he told nobody what he had seen.

Next day, the same thing happened with Wild Horse, who had smelled the sweet cut hay. The Woman offered him hay in exchange for carrying her and the Man on his back, and Wild Horse agreed. 'That,' said the Cat, watching from the shadows, 'is another very foolish creature.'

Next day, Wild Cow came too. The Woman offered her hay in exchange for milk each morning. Wild Cow agreed. 'Three foolish creatures,' said the Cat, and went back to the Wild Woods to walk by his wild lone.

Then, at last, the Cat himself came up to the Cave.

'Where is Wild Cow?' he asked the Woman.

The Woman laughed. 'Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods,' she said, 'go back to the Woods again. I have no more need of friends or servants in my Cave.'

'I am not a friend,' said the Cat. 'And I am not a servant. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and I wish to come into your Cave.'

'Then why did you not come with First Friend on the first night?' asked the Woman.

The Cat did not answer that.

'You,' said the Woman firmly, 'are neither friend nor servant. Go away.'

'But,' said the Cat, thinking quickly, 'let us make a bargain. If ever you say one kind word about me, may I come into the Cave? If two, may I sit by the fire? If three, may I drink the warm white milk?'

'I shall never say a kind word about you,' said the Woman. 'But very well.'

Now, in time, a Baby was born in the Cave. And one day, the Baby cried and cried, and the Woman could not soothe him. The Cat, who had been hiding nearby, padded in. He rubbed against the Baby's cheek. He tickled the Baby's chin with his tail. And the Baby laughed, and stopped crying.

'Oh Cat,' said the Woman with great relief, 'that was wonderfully done!'

And at those words — WOOSH — the horse-skin curtain fell down at the mouth of the Cave, remembering the bargain. When the Woman went to lift it, she found the Cat already sitting quite comfortably just inside.

'I have my place,' said the Cat, 'but still I am the Cat who walks by himself.'

Later that day, the Baby fussed again. The Cat took a strand of the Woman's spinning-wool and made it dance and jump and roll around the floor. The Baby laughed and reached, and the Cat played and purred, until the Baby fell asleep in the Cat's warm arms.

'Oh Cat,' said the Woman, 'you are wonderfully clever!'

And at those words — POOF — the smoke of the fire billowed down, remembering the bargain. When it cleared, the Cat was sitting quite comfortably right beside the warm fire.

'Two words,' said the Cat. 'But still I am the Cat who walks by himself.'

Later still, a mouse ran across the floor. The Woman screamed and jumped on a stool. Quick as lightning, the Cat pounced, and caught the mouse.

'Oh Cat!' cried the Woman. 'Even the First Friend is not so quick! You are a marvel!'

And at those words — FFFT — the milk-pot beside the fire cracked. When it broke open, the Cat was already lapping up the warm white milk.

'Three words,' said the Cat, licking his whiskers. 'But still, remember, I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me.'

And so, from that day to this, the Cat has his place beside every warm fire in every house in the world. He catches mice, and he plays with babies, and he drinks warm milk. But when the moon rises and the night comes, he goes out into the Wild Woods, or up on the Wet Wild Rooftops, waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone. And that is why every cat you will ever meet is his own creature. He belongs to no one.

(Freely retold for bedtime from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, 1902.)